The Apprentices
by The Pool of Realms
Summary: My first fanfic. 12 kids across the US are chosen to be trained by the Olympians to defeat a penetrating force. Please R&R after you read. Chapters 12 and 13 are up! Intros are done! Note:Chapters 2-13 is introducing the 12 teens.
1. Prologue

All right, this is my first fanfic. Reviews are really helpful, but NO FLAMES. I don't own any of the places, except some that I made up. And I don't own Greek mythology; making ALL that stuff up is a little intimidating. I just own my characters.

* * *

Prologue

At the bottom of the tallest mountain in Greece, Zeus was worried. He had just found out that a strange force had started penetrating Mt. Olympus. At first, he wasn't really worried about what the force was, but soon got a feeling that it wasn't good. He tried asking Apollo to find what he could about the force, but all he could get from him was a few confused mumblings about "darkness". He had sent Hermes to his brother, Hades's place, to find out if he knew anything, but Hermes came back empty. So for now, Zeus knew nothing about the strange force, and that was why he was keeping it a secret.

However, there was one piece of evidence that might decide whether he would tell the other Olympians or not. Apollo had said that the gods did not have the power to destroy the force. He had mentioned using mortals if they wanted to annihilatewhatever it was. But what kind of humans would they use? Would they be war veterans, martial arts freaks, or technological nerds? The choice was unclear. He would have to discuss this with the other Olympians.

* * *

Two weeks later…

Zeus had called a meeting of all the Olympians to discuss something that he mentioned in a letter simply as "a grave matter". All the Olympians were to come. Zeus would discuss whatever plan he had there, and would take suggestions.

At the High Temple, all the Olympians were gathered. They sat in a circle, with Zeus and Hera on the highest level with the highest chairs. Poseidon sat on Zeus's side, while Hades sat on Hera's. On the bottom level were the other Olympians. On the left sat Artemis, Apollo, Athena, and Ares. On the right sat Demeter, Hermes, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. They're eyes were all pointed to the stern face of Zeus.

"Hello everyone. I'm pretty sure you guys are all wondering why I gathered you here. Let me begin first by saying—"

"Come on! Get on with it! Ow! What the hell, Athena!" That was Ares speaking, apparently with his impatience running low even after a few seconds. Athena had clobbered him on the back of his head. She motioned for her father to continue with whatever he was going to say.

Zeus sighed. His son had a patience span of two seconds. At least this wasn't one of those violent bursts that Ares got when he was fighting with Hermes. 

"Erm, anyways, back to what I was saying." Zeus took a deep breath. The other Olympians' reactions would not be pretty. He wasn't worried about Hades, Hermes, or Apollo, though. They already knew. And some of the others would handle it with a sense of calmness. But even the reassurance from the fact that the others would be calm didn't prepare him to say the next words. "Olympus is being penetrated."

"What! What do you mean penetrated?" (We all know who this is). "Are we going to die or something? Is some mortal in Olympus? Let me kill them!"

"Somebody calm him down, and let me explain." Zeus waited for Athena to, once again, clobber Ares. "What I mean by penetrated is that something is destroying us. Now, I don't know what exactly is penetrating us, but I do have enough information to know that this isn't something good." Zeus let the words sink in.

"Then how are we going to plan to find out the penetrating force? And when we do find it, how are we going to kill it?" Athena asked.

Hera turned up her nose. "Were you listening, you dimwit? Zeus said that he doesn't know what the force is, so I don't think we are going to find anything soon. I say that we don't do anything at all."

Demeter spoke up. "We're immortals. We can't die. Hera is right. Besides, I don't want to fight."

"Hem! Actually, I know exactly what to do." All eyes turned to look at Apollo. "A few weeks ago, Zeus told me about the penetrating force, and asked me if I could find anything about it. I didn't find a lot, but I did find some stuff." He paused for dramatic effect. "I was able to find a few bits about darkness, but I don't know how it's supposed to relate to anything. I also was able to see something really important." This time, Apollo seemed to be nervous to speak.

"Well? What is it?" asked an anxious Artemis.

"We can't defeat the force."

"NO! NO, NO, NO! We're the Olympians. We're the top twelve. We can do anything! Now let's stop talking and get on with the fight!"

"ARES!" This time it was Poseidon who spoke……or rather yelled. "Control yourself. No everyone is as bloodlusting and arrogant as you are." Hades snickered unobtrusively in the background.

"ANYways, I was saying that we wouldn't be able to defeat the force. But that doesn't mean that mortals wouldn't be able to." Letting the rest of the Olympians decide what would happen next, Apollo sat down.

"So you're saying that we're supposed to train some humans and send them to battle?"

"That's' right, Hephaestus." Zeus spoke again. "It's a good way to keep the danger off ourselves."

"Whoa, wait. This doesn't make sense. First, how are we going to make sure that the strategy will work? Mortals don't even believe in us anymore. They might not even know who we are." Hades looked at his brother quizzically.

"This will work guys. I see the advantages in this. We choose twelve mortals, bring them here so they won't escape, train them, and send them off to fight. They'll be able to have abilities similar to ours, so it'll be like us finding and fighting the force." The queen of strategic planning looked around, daring anyone to challenge her plan with a cold, hard stare.

Zeus nodded, pleased with his daughter. He stood up. "Ok, here's the plan. You guys have one week to choose your mortals and come back here. Choose carefully, because you'll be with them for a while. And find teens. They are the most vulnerable and most likely to believe this kind of stuff. I'll leave the strategy of how you tell them up to you. Is that all right?"

"EEEEEEEK!"

"What NOW, Aphrodite?" Hermes, who had the good luck to be permanently placed next to her in official meetings, was obviously annoyed when she screamed in his ear.

"Humans! The one you choose for me better be pretty!"

Eleven hands slapped eleven foreheads in unison.

Hermes whispered something in Aphrodite's ear.

"Oh! Ok, then! That's a good plan. Let's carry it out."

"Well, now that we have everyone's approval, let's begin." With an implied dismissal from Zeus, all of the Olympians left.

* * *

OK, so this was the Prologue. The next 12 chapters will be how the Olympians choose their Apprentices. What else...oh! Review, please.


	2. The First Apprentice

**The First Apprentice**

This was going to be easy, Artemis thought. All you have to do is to find that girl when she gets out of school, tell her about the problems, and whisk her off to Olympus. But apparently, Artemis came a bit too early before the end of class, so she had to wait.

Artemis appeared normal on the outside, with a light forest green sweatshirt and dark blue jeans. Her brown hair was in a ponytail a bit below the nape of her neck. She was standing with one leg bent over the other, hands in her pockets. Her stance conveyed a sort of daring toughness.

Artemis took a long breath. The crisp fall air blew through the trees, swaying the branches above her. No one was outside in front of the main steps of the school. The gray K-8 building looked deathly ordinary and boring. This was going to be a long 40 minutes.

* * *

10 minutes. 10 minutes into her math class and she was already bored. Sure she was in an advanced class compared to normal standards, actually all of her classes were, but most of the assignments were too easy for her. Her mind longed to be free, to not have a care in the world. She wanted adventure, something to change her life. 

The ancient teacher had passed out a worksheet for the students to do. He immediately went to his book and paid no further attention to his class. The stupider kids gathered in groups to try to work on the problems together. The average kids tried to work alone, but obviously figured out 30 problems in 40 minutes was going to require partners. Especially one with some really tricky equations.

Only Bellatrix worked alone. She scribbled _Bellatrix Yan_ on the top and without delay started the problems. Bellatrix was taken back by how tricky a few of them were, and even admitted that they were somewhat fun to do. Most of them she solved in her head, without that stupid and bulky calculator. In a flash of time, she was done. With 15 minutes left in the period.

Bellatrix leaned back in the chair, and took out her social science notebook. She planned on spending the rest of the period finishing up the essay. Even though she had already passed the 3 page limit, the essay wasn't done yet. Bellatrix's classmates called her a nerd, since she knew so much, but she wasn't that much of a stereotypical know it all. Her "friends", the other orphans who went to the same school, knew that she constantly snuck out during curfew to climb trees and run laps. She played football, baseball, and basketball with the boys, breaking the gender gap rule. Bellatrix was definitely a rule breaker at the orphanage, but a goody-goody at school. She had two sides, and was proud of it.  
With a few pen final pen strokes, Bellatrix finished her essay and capped her pen. Not soon after she stuffed her oversized notebook into her backpack, the bell rang. A screeching caller of freedom, it prompted the math students to rush out of the class quickly as possible.

Bellatrix herself rushed towards the door. She quickly made a trip to her locker to grab her jacket, and then headed out the door. A great mass of people poured out of the doors along with her. The bustling after school exodus to home had begun.

Bellatrix immediately gathered with her fellow orphans from the orphanage, since they all went home together. There were 15 of them, including her. However, even though the orphans were very close friends, they all left her alone. Maybe it was her tendency to do things other girls didn't. Or maybe it was her general repulsion towards people. Still, if there was a person like her, Bellatrix would think that they would be good friends very soon.

Like normal days, Bellatrix hung around for all of the orphans to arrive. Today they were earlier than usual. But they always chatted for a long time, catching up on events even though they practically had the same schedules. Bellatrix usually took this time to observe the other people on the courtyard. Taking her usual perch near the railings, she looked scanned around the scenery in front of her. She observed the majestic yet rustic skyline, with the Sears Tower dominating like a tall spire. Bellatrix then turned her gaze to the students in front of her. Like every day, people were hanging around the benches chatting, texting, or trying to do homework. However, there was one difference today. A tall, brown haired woman with a green sweater and jeans was leaning against a tree. She seemed to be looking at Bellatrix with a stern look on her face. Bellatrix tried to look away, but was sure the woman was still looking.

Luckily for Bellatrix, her orphan friends were starting to leave, and she headed after them. They started to walk back to the orphanage about 3.5 miles away, and Bellatrix trailed after them, always staying a few feet behind. 

The group was nearing an empty residential street. No one was on the roads. All was quiet. Bellatrix was about six feet behind her group, which was normal for her. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder and whirled around.

Bellatrix started. It was the brown haired woman.

"I need to talk to you," the woman said.

Bellatrix was confused. And scared. She did not want to talk to a stranger who appeared out of nowhere on an empty street. But she gathered the courage to speak. "Why?"

The woman sighed. "Do you know about the Greek gods? And goddesses?" Bellatrix nodded. "And the mythical creatures?" She nodded again. "Well….um something is destroying us, and we don't know what. We need to find twelve teens to help us find what it is and destroy it." The woman seemed nervous to speak, but made strong eye contact.

"Who are you?" Bellatrix interjected.

"My name…is Artemis."

"As in the Greek goddess?"

"Yeah."

"And you're choosing me to help your fellow gods, whoever they are, to find the force?"

"The Olympians to be exact. And yes."

Bellatrix paused for a bit. Should she believe the woman or should she run?

"Will you come?" There was a desperate tone in Artemis's voice.

"No." Bellatrix walked away.

Artemis let the girl go about 15 feet before she spoke. "And where are you going back to? Certainly not that orphanage of yours."

Bellatrix stopped abruptly. How did she know?

"Please, Bellatrix. You have nothing to lose if you believe me. Besides, isn't going on an "adventure" like this what you always wanted?"

No way. This was getting too freaky. The woman already knew so much about her. What was she going to do? Should she go with her? Or be happy with her present life and leave this experience behind?

The silence dragged on forever. Bellatrix's orphan friends were out of sight, and she was sure that they didn't even notice that she was gone. A light breeze blew through the street. The two seemed to stand there forever.  
Bellatrix finally answered.

"I'll go."


	3. A Battle of Wits

**A Battle of Wits**

"Right...Well, let's go on to the next page."

The MathCounts team all turned to the next page. This was probably the most difficult set of geometry problems that Ms. White, the coach, had given them. Mackenzie doubted that any of her fellow teammates, even the eight graders, got more than 6 right. She doubted that she even did.

"Well? Does anyone have an answer?" Ms. White asked.

"Eight."

"Fifteen."

Seven point five."

"Six."

"Eight."

"One thousand twelve hundred and thirty seven."

"Nine! It has to be nine!"

Ms. White looked disappointed.

"Mackenzie? What about you?"

"Um……four?"

"Yes! Good job, Mackenzie. Do you want to show the rest of the team how you got the answer?"

Mackenzie secretly rejoiced inside of her as she went up to the whiteboard. Maybe the last year of MathCounts wasn't going to be so bad after all.

* * *

This was hopeless. It didn't make sense that the goddess of wisdom should have such a hard time finding an Apprentice. Athena had researched cities that she could possibly look in, and Boston seemed to be very educational. However, she didn't find anyone. Athena had wandered around for the past three days looking at yarn shops, universities, arts centers, sports facilities, and other places. She thought these places would foster some people that would be candidates for an Apprentice, but no luck. 

It was about four in the afternoon. After visiting multiple university libraries, she was just about to give up on them. But there was one place that she had to visit before tomorrow.

The Boston Public Library was the largest municipal library in the U.S., and the third largest library in general in the U.S. It was the first to conduct library services. The building, which took up the whole block, was of impressive Renaissance architecture, which rather delighted Athena. If there was a person who would satisfy Athena's Apprentice requirements, she would be here.

Swinging open the large door of the library, Athena first made her way to the courtyard. This was one of the most serene places in the whole building, with a fountain and well placed foliage. But hardly anyone was there. Next, Athena made her way up the stairs. She eventually found herself on a balcony overlooking a large room. A small sign over a door in the room proclaimed the place "Bates Hall".

Bates Hall was even more impressive than the building itself. The ceiling was high and arched, giving the people in there a feel of vastness. Wooden tables were placed discreetly alongside lamps with green shades. A very nice environment for studying, Athena thought.

She scanned the room for people of interest. There wasn't anything interesting, since most of the people there were adults on laptops or reading. However, one person caught her eye. It was a young girl, sitting by herself, with a large pile of book next to her. She was slightly skinny, with a thin face and a sharp chin. She had a large mass of red hair loose around her. A large backpack sat next to her. Surprisingly, she had no glasses, which Athena thought she might have since she was reading so much.

After thinking for some while, Athena concluded that she would go down to Bates Hall. The girl held promise. She might have the qualities that Athena was looking for, and could even become her Apprentice.

* * *

Mackenzie got out her notebook with the books that she wanted to read. These included everything from fiction to books on medicine. She read _everything._ That was how she knew so much. Anyone could ask her a question, and she could answer it.

What was she going to read next? Maybe a book on physics or engineering. Those were two very interesting topics, but since no one else she knew studied it, she hardly spoke about it. Mackenzie had her eye on a book discussing the engineering feats of the ancient world, but instead of getting that book, she decided to lie her head down. It had been a long day, and the smooth tabletop was cool refreshment to her skin. At least she had finished her homework before the MathCounts meeting, so she wouldn't have to waste time at the library doing it.

Ever since sixth grade, Mackenzie had been going to the Boston Public Library after school. There, she had increased her knowledge on the scientific and concrete world. People had asked her why she didn't listen to music, participate in sports, or imagine about other worlds. Her answer was simple: she never wasted her time on things that couldn't be proved. However, explaining what her definition of "proved" was difficult. Basically, if something couldn't be proved, it was abstract. Kind of like art, or crafts, two other things that Mackenzie never paid attention to. Her parents urged her to spend some more time outside of the library, because they thought the palace of books had turned her mind into one of a non-believing type of person. Mackenzie hardly thought so, since she believed in the power of math, science and the tangible facts of the world. That is believing, isn't it?

Mackenzie was so deep in thought that she didn't notice someone sitting next to her. As soon as she did, though, she shot up from the table.

"Hello," she said.

"Greetings," the woman replied.

"Do you need help?"

The woman paused. "No. But I do need to ask you a few questions."

Mackenzie stared. Should she answer to this stranger?

"OK, go ahead."

"Do you believe in Greek mythology?" the woman asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Well, to me, Greek mythology can't be proven. It's some strange world that the ancient Greeks made up to explain what was around them. It's abstract, unlike math, physics, or architecture." Ugh. Why was she explaining her beliefs to a total stranger, Mackenzie thought.

"That's a smart answer." Mackenzie beamed. She liked people calling her smart.

The woman spoke again. "However, some of the things that you call proven may not be proven after all. For example, many fundamentals in math are abstract. Who's to say that 1 12? And in physics, who says that there is really a gravitational attraction between bodies of mass? Or that the values given to the letters or symbols are real? And many people call architecture one of the most expressive forms of abstract art. Is that proven, then, Mackenzie?"

Mackenzie froze. Not because of the fact that the woman knew her name, but because she had been proven wrong. No one could prove her wrong. Her brains always knew the way to outwit anyone.

"First of all, 1 1 is two, because you have one and one and if you put them together, you get two things. And Newton proved that every point mass attracts every other point mass by a force which is proportional to the product of the two masses and is inversely proportional to the distance between the point masses. And architecture is proven, because it uses proven ideas in science to build… whatever." Mackenzie's voice was getting a bit pushy, but she couldn't be blamed. She really wanted to prove this woman wrong.

The woman laughed. "You are very smart for your age. However, you can't really outwit me, if that's what you want to do. After all, I am the goddess of knowledge and wisdom."

Tingles ran down Mackenzie's back. Was this woman psycho? How could she say such a thing?

"Are you lying? Because it definitely sounds like it."

"No. I am the goddess of knowledge and wisdom, as well as crafts and war. I am the daughter of Zeus and Métis. I am Athena."

"As in the Greek goddess Athena?"

Athena smiled. "So you do know a little about Greek mythology after all."

"Just because I don't believe in it doesn't mean I don't know about it. I know about almost anything."

"Well, Mackenzie, then let me propose something to you. The Greek gods and goddesses are trying to find teens like you to train. Something is destroying us, and only mortals can defeat it. We need to find our Apprentices and go back to Mt. Olympus by the end of the week. And I want you as my Apprentice."

Mackenzie was confused. One minute she was trying to disprove the woman, and the other minute she was being asked about Apprenticeship. 

"Well, I don't know about the Greek mythology part. But I do want to learn more, and if you are right about you being the Athena, then I can be your Apprentice." What? Did she really say that? Oh well, Mackenzie thought. She had always wondered about Greek mythology anyways.

"All right then. Let's go." Athena got up, and pushed in her chair. Mackenzie packed up, and followed Athena quickly.

Strange, Athena thought. I didn't know that convincing this girl to be my Apprentice was going to be so easy.


	4. Musical Prodigy

**Musical Prodigy**

Chase slammed his book closed. Finally, he finished the absurdly hard geometry homework that his teacher assigned. Now he could do what he really wanted to do.

Chase ran down the stairs to the den of the Mullen house. It was a large house, with six bedrooms to house the five Mullen teens and their parents. The gigantic living room took up half of the first floor, and the dining room and kitchen taking up about 3/8. The den was made up of the rest of the first floor.

"Dude, what took you so long?" his brother Adam asked.

"Shut up, Adam. It's not like you have a good grade in math." Adam turned red and turned back to his drum beat patterns.

The Mullens were a very musical family. It all started with their parents, who were musically talented, but was denied a formal musical education. When they got married, they moved to music city USA, Nashville. There, they opened a small private music school and an instruments shop. Determined to make sure their children didn't go through what they did, the Mullen parents started the kids on instruments at very young ages.

The 18 year old twins, Melody and Harmony, both started on voice at age 5. Melody was a soprano, and Harmony was a versatile alto who could sing soprano. At age 9, they both started piano. Soon later, at age 13, both started the electric guitar. Harmony started the acoustic guitar a few months later, but Melody decided to stay with what she had.

The next oldest was 17 year old Jacob. Jacob had the least amount of instrumental education, but had the most experience in songwriting. He often arranged for the Mullen band (which was the five Mullen teens' name for their musical group). Jacob started the piano at age 11, the clarinet at age 12, and the saxophone and electric bass at age 13.

16 year old Adam was the one who learned the largest variety of instruments. His primary talent was the drum set, which he started at age 7. He was a soprano at age 9, but his voice dropped to a tenor later. Adam started playing the flute at age 9 also and the trumpet at age 10. The two most recent of his instruments were the piano, started at 12, and the electric guitar at age 14.

And last came Chase. At age 14, he was the youngest, but had a vast musical experience. He started the violin at age 3, piano at age 6, cello and viola at age 7, electric guitar at age 9, electric bass two months later, and the acoustic guitar at age 10. He also played a little of the double bass (age 11) and the harp (age 12). Chase also sung, but had no formal vocal training. He trained himself when he was alone in the house or in the shower. In addition, since he could read all three major orchestral clefs, he composed a lot.

Many people criticized the Mullens for being too musical, and not having other talents elsewhere. However, the Mullen teens had solid grades and got on the honor roll often. Jacob was also a swimmer, while the twins played tennis against each other.

"Are you guys ready?" Melody asked. The rest of them nodded. Soon, the five of them started playing. Melody and Harmony took turns singing songs. They sung "Behind These Hazel Eyes" by Kelly Clarkson, "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne, "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton (which Harmony played piano to) and "Everywhere" by Michelle Branch.

After the twins sang, Adam took to the mike while playing the drums at the same time. He sang "American Idiot" by Green Day and "Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance. Then, seeing there was a little time left, the Mullens let Chase sing "Dirty Little Secret" by All American Rejects.

Following the Mullen band practice was when Chase (and the rest of the Mullens') musical training began. The band members separated and migrated to their own rooms. Each of them practiced their own instruments. For Chase, this meant 1 ½ hours of violin, 1 hour of piano, 30 minutes of cello, viola, electric guitar, and electric bass each, and 45 minutes of acoustic guitar. Occasionally, Chase would spend the remainder of the time before his parents got home either practicing the double bass, harp, or composing, but today, he was extremely tired. He decided to go to sleep instead. Going to school at 5 a.m. in the morning and coming back at 2 was hard on any person's body.

The next thing he knew, Jacob was hitting his head with a pillow and yelling for him to wake up.

"Wake _up_, dude. You don't want to miss dinner, do you?"

Chase stretched and tidied up his blonde hair before going downstairs. His parents had made a large dinner as always. The five of them quickly piled their plates and had a lively conversation. Soon after dinner, Melody started to head out the door.

"I'm going to see if there's any walk-in performance opps around. You guys wanna come?"

"Sorry, I want to watch TV," Harmony shouted.

"Chemistry paper due tomorrow," Adam said.

"Same as Harmony," Jacob stated.

"Tired."

"Fine, I'll go alone, then." With that, Melody walked out the door.

Half an hour later, Chase decided that he would do the same as Melody. He put on a light jacket and walked out. Looking for walk-ins was one of the traditions that the Mullen parents encouraged. Some days, the whole Mullen band would decide to go, other days, all of them stayed home.

The evening sky was enchanting and calm as Chase walked around randomly, looking at the signs of bars and restaurants. He finally found one that said:

**Show Your Musical Talent**

**Starting at 7:30 PM**

**Walk-ins and Amateurs Welcome**

Chase opened the door to find a woman singing "Tattoo" by Jordin Sparks. He immediately went to the back of the restaurant to face an ancient, walrus bearded old man.

"Do you have a violin anywhere?" he asked.

"We have ten or something fiddles that you can use," the man replied.

Eager to find one that suited him, Chase went back even further. He found 11 violin cases, all of them open. Eight of them were empty. Devastated, he plucked the strings until he found that the second one sounded good. Next, he took the bow belonging to the violin and rosined it until the hair turned a snow white. He knew he was going to use this bow vigorously tonight.

"All right! Let's give it up for Melissa for her rendition of 'Tattoo'!" Applause. "Now let's see who's next." There was a drumroll as the spotlight shone randomly around the musicians. It landed on Chase.

"Come up, young man. What's your name?"

"Chase Mullen."

"OK, Chase. Show them what you got!"

Chase took a deep breath and looked out at the large audience. They looked slightly bored. He secretly pledged to himself that he would bring this crowd to life. But he would need to find a good song to play, first. Paganini's Caprice No.24? Nah, to high and unknown. What about Bach? Nope. Chase decided that to get the crowd to life, he needed to play a more welcomed tune in Nashville. He decided to play one of his 29 fiddle tunes that he composed himself.

Chase lifted his bow and started playing. The beginning was a little slow, but it soon sped up. Suddenly, Chase busted out the fast paced fiddle tune augmented with chromatics, double stops, and 64th notes. He crossed the strings vigorously, produced harmonics, and played like a modern Paganini.

For a few minutes, the audience stayed where they were. The improv guitar and drums, which Chase didn't notice before, started plucking to his music. Then, quite randomly, a few rowdy youngsters started to dance. Soon later, the whole restaurant was dancing. When the first movement ended, Chase took a gigantic retake and went on to the second movement.

The crowd was on their feet. They were dancing and stomping. Even Chase was moving to the rhythm, the music pumping through his veins.

* * *

Apollo had no idea that a blonde teen who looked almost exactly like him could play almost as well as him. That fiddle tune that Chase was playing was quite attractive. Apollo was dancing with a random girl. Everyone in the restaurant was laughing and dancing. Even some of the cooks, who were supposed to be cooking, were having fun.

He was it. Chase was definitely going to be his Apprentice, and Apollo would do anything to get him.

* * *

Finally the tune ended. A large round of applause with lots of cheering followed. It lasted long after Chase had gotten off the stage.

"Yo, little bro. I think they want an encore," the guitarist said.

So Chase gave them an encore. He played another fiddle tune, then borrowed a guitar and played that. He even sang, something that he thought he would never do in public.

Finally, a worn out Chase sat down and ordered a Pepsi. He decided to listen to some other people play before he went home.

"Nice job, man." someone behind him was speaking.

Chase turned around. He gasped as he saw a blonde haired, blue eyed man that looked strangely like him. It was like looking in a mirror, except Chase had brown eyes.

"Thanks."

"How long have you been playing?"

"11 years."

"Cool."

"How long have you been playing?" Chase asked the man. "If you do play, I mean."

The man laughed. "I don't know. I was born sometime when the Greeks were around, and started on the lyre. Then, when the violin was invented, I picked up immediately."

"WHAT?"

The man smiled. Chase got a strange notion from nowhere that the man wasn't really a man after all. How could he possibly be playing for so long?

"I'm a god," the man said in a hushed voice. "I'm Apollo. That's why I've been playing for so long."

"Are you kidding me? You're my favorite god!"

Apollo grinned a grin so large it probably would fall off his face.

"Well, I know I'm awesome and all, but that's not the point. You see, the Olympians and the rest of Greek mythology exist, but something is destroying us. Zeus wants us to find 'Apprentices', people to train so that they can find what is destroying us. Because the gods and goddesses apparently can't destroy whatever it is."

Chase let Apollo's words sink in. "Can I be your Apprentice, then? Because I think it'd be nice to have a random adventure, you know?"

"Well, uh, I wasn't expecting you to ask me… but if you want to. This is a little dangerous, and reckless. And who knows if you'll get out of this alive or not."

"Apollo, are you trying to _discourage_ me from being you Apprentice? I'm going to tell you that's not going to happen.

"All right. Come with me now."

"Wait, I don't go home or anything like that?" Chase had begun to get worried.

"No."

"But what about my family? What happens when they find out I'm gone?"

"That's taken care of."

There was a long silence. Finally, Apollo spoke.

"Are you going or not?"

Chase got up. 

"Duh."


	5. A Fight in Philadephia

**A Fight in Philadelphia**

Ares had no idea why he came to this ugly place. First of all, there didn't seem to be any tough guys fighting, which was what he wanted. Second of all, people looked at him strangely when they saw him on his bike. What's so weird about a motorcycle riding god, damn it! He really wished he could just unleash his fury upon the people there. Then again, Zeus would get mad at him, and Athena would clobber him on the head. Again.

Ares rode into one of the back street neighborhoods in Philly. There were gangs in neighborhoods like these, and his one was no exception. It had the most gangs, as well as being the most dangerous. Despite being near a police station and a bunch of shops and sports buildings, hardly anyone lived here. However, if there was a tough gang teen that seemed sturdy enough to be Ares's Apprentice, Ares would take him.

* * *

Crap. Carson was going to be late for his football practice. There was only five minutes left before practice officially started, but it would take him at least 10 to go around the block and arrive at the field.

Crap, crap, and even more crap. How was he going to get there in time? Sure, he was the toughest defensive tackle around, but his coach has some strange grudge towards him. Maybe it was because Carson had beat his son in boxing, another one his favorite sports. But grudge or not, Carson needed to get to football on time.

He arrived at an alley. Hmm. From here, he could see the grass field far away, where he could distinguish a little of his teammates starting to warm up. Maybe he could cut through here. No one would know. Not even his overprotective parents.

Carson entered the alley. Only when he saw some tattooed bald dudes did he realize what he had gotten himself into. He was in a ghetto neighborhood. This was a place where gangs hung out. After observing the brick walls for a little while, he cursed after finding that the graffiti was of some of the most dangerous gangs.

"Yo! Get off our turf, you punksta!"

Carson whirled around to see a smoking gang member looking at him. Even worse, some of his fellow gangsters were encircling Carson. They were looking for a fight. There was no way out.

The first thing that Carson thought of doing was run. Then he realized that one: it would do no good; and two: he could use it as an excuse for arriving late for practice. If he got out alive.

What are you thinking, Carson thought to himself. You're an Avery, you can beat them up. Your parents own a martial arts academy. You play football and you box. You are the most feared in the whole high school, even by the seniors. You are Carson Avery, the invincible Carson Avery.

Well, calling himself invincible was a bit too far, since no sooner than he thought that, he was punched in the back by a random gangster. Carson retaliated by turning around and throwing a well aimed punch at the guy's head. A light October breeze blew through the alley. The six gang members charged at Carson. Oh damn was the only thought going through Carson's head.

He dodged some of their punches, and aimed a few kicks at their heads. But that was not enough. He wasn't Jet Li or Jackie Chan who could beat up whole slews of punks. Who had guns.

Suddenly, there was the sound of an engine revving up. Soon after, a man on a monster sized motorcycle came charging at Carson and the gangsters. They separated to make room for the strange man, with Carson on one side and the gang members on the other.

As the man got closer, Carson could see that the mad was wearing a black and red leather jacket that was barely concealing his muscular chest and arms. A buff dude, all right. 

The man stopped his bike in front of the group. They looked at him in fear. He took out a knife. A very large, shiny, and dangerous-looking knife. At that point, the six gangsters scattered. Only Carson was left.

Life sucks, Carson thought.

The man came closer and pointed the knife at Carson's neck. Carson was now sweating, something that he hardly did except when he worked out too much. He needed to get out of here. So Carson kicked the man in the stomach.

The man hardly flinched. Actually, it was Carson who grimaced in pain as his foot came in contact with a metal hard core.

"You-you-you------PUNK! What gave you the guts to do that? After almost getting skinned by those gang bangers? Huh? Huh? I'm trying to save you, can't you see!"

"What? Then why are you pointing a knife at my neck?"

The man's expression changed. "Hmm. Good point……" He packed his knife away.

"What do you want with me?" Carson asked.

"Look, you have the guts to take on six tough-looking gangsters. Normal people don't do that."

"Yeah,so?"

"What do you mean 'yeah, so'? That means you're _obviously_ going to be my Apprentice."

"What do you mean?"

The man sighed. "You know the Greek gods?"

"Uh-huh, like Ra and stuff, right?"

The man rolled his eyes. "No, like Zeus and Ares."

"Um…… OK, but what do they have to do with me?"

"You see, they exist. I know that's hard to believe, but it's true. And something is 'penetrating' us. And we need mortal people like you to help us beat whatever is penetrating us."

"But why should I believe you? You can be another gang member for all I care."

"You should believe me because I am Ares, the god of war, and I can kill you easily." With that, Ares held out his arms, and a full suit of armor covered them. Then, a giant spear appeared out of nowhere and landed in his hands. Ares pointed that spear at Carson. And all that happened in about 2 seconds.

Carson gaped. Not at the giant spearhead aimed at his neck, but at Ares. The god looked……well, _godly_. 

"So, if I become your Apprentice, do I get to learn to do stuff like that? And beat up those gang members?"

"Sure. I'll teach you that." Ares smiled, revealing some rather crooked teeth.

"Sweet. The gang bangers are _so_ dead." Carson liked the thought of revenge.

Ares rolled his eyes. "We should get going. Hop on the bike—what's your name?"

"Carson Avery. The toughest guy in all of Philly."

"You have an ego, Carson, but you also have guts. Come on, get on the bike."


	6. Shocked

Sorry for the wait, guys. I was going to post up this with the three chapters that follow it. But apparently, I am facing some writer's block (AHHHHHHHHHH!!) with Chapter 8. I didn't want to keep you waiting. Chapter 6 and 7 are done, so I'll post them up by tomorrow night. Anyways, her's the story.

* * *

**Shocked**

The city that never sleeps. That was one of the many nicknames of New York City. It was the most populous city in the US. To Zeus, this meant that he had a lot of choices for Apprentices. It also meant that it would be harder to find a desired Apprentice when the time came.

Which apparently was what was happening now. In the densest city in the country, Zeus was navigation endlessly in a mass of people that seemed to only get bigger. He had his eye on a certain 15 year old named Kimball Eldridge. A shy sophomore, straight A student since kindergarten. He hardly talked to anyone, and no one hardly ever talked to him. However, Zeus saw in him an incredible capacity to be a leader. For the Apprentice of the God of Gods, this was an important trait.

Zeus sensed something. He paused for a little bit. Was Kimball really just around the corner? He looked beyond the crowd and sure enough, the boy was just rounding the curb.

He had found the boy. Now all he needed to do was to convince him.

* * *

Another red light. Kimball heaved a sigh and sat down on a nearby fire hydrant. He had just spent a long two hours researching for his World History thesis paper. He had this pounding headache and felt like collapsing like a pile of jello. Kimball rubbed the space between his brows and pushed up his glasses. He looked at the traffic light. Still red. Near the traffic signal was a tall, black haired man. Kimball had no idea why this person stood out to him, but didn't let it bother him, since the light had turned green.

Kimball kept on walking to the train station. At the corner of 42nd and 6th, Kimball saw the man again. This time he was looking at him. Kimball tried to avoid his gaze, but couldn't there was something about the man that seemed… foreign. Kimball couldn't comprehend the feeling.

However, Kimball was sure that nothing big was going to happen to him, so he kept on walking. A few minutes later, he turned around to see if the man was following him.

He was.

Kimball gulped. This was not good. He didn't want to get stalked and die. Kimball, don't get ahead of yourself, he thought to himself. Think clearly.

Kimball breathed a little, and decided to head towards Times Square, which was near the library anyways. There, he would lose the man, go on the train station, and catch the ride home. So he headed towards one of the busiest intersections in the busiest intersections in the world.

He walked towards 43rd and Broadway. Instantly, Kimball saw a change in the atmosphere. Yellow taxis and other cars dominated the streets, while LED lighted signs and tall buildings dominated the skyline. Kimball felt safer here, even though he could easily get run over by a taxi cab. Or something like that.

Not so soon after, Kimball felt a tap on his shoulder. Uh-oh. It was probably the black haired man. Kimball dared not to turn around. He clutched his books closer to his chest and quickened his pace.

"I'm not going to do anything to you."

Kimball almost dropped his books as the man appeared in front of him.

"You shouldn't be afraid of me," the man said.

Kimball started sweating. He could feel his palms getting slightly wet. He wanted to say something, but his words got caught in his throat. Kimball's head pounded, and his cheeks got warm. He was going through was always happened to him when he talked to people. Man, why did he have to be so shy? Was he anthropophobic or sociophobic? If this fear kept up, Kimball would get nowhere in life.

"What do you want?" Kimball asked nervously.

"I need to take you away to somewhere."

Kimball gulped. "Can you just not kill me?"

The man laughed. A large, deep throated laugh that reminded Kimball of a jolly grandfather. Or Santa.

"I don't want to kill you. I need you as my Apprentice."

"Huh? For what?" Kimball was confused.

"Do you know about the Greek gods, Kimball?"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?"

"That's not important. Now answer my question."

Kimball pondered a bit. Why would a stalker be asking him if he knew about the Greeks?

"Yeah, I guess so. Why?"

"What do you think would happen if there was a strange force that they didn't know about started penetrating them?"

"I don't know. Maybe get help?"

"From who, then?"

"I don't know."

The man's voice grew a bit tense. "What if they needed mortals to help them?"

This conversation was getting to be too weird, Kimball thought. "I don't know." He had never said that many I don't knows in his life. "Maybe they'd recruit them?"

"That's right. And what if _you_ were one of the recruits? Would you agree to help them?"

"OK, Kimball. What I just told you is what is going to happen. The Greek Olympians are real, and they need help from mor--"

"WHAT! Are you saying that I am going to be recruited?" The man nodded. "But how can I believe you!? You're just a strange stalker, for all I care."

The man's eyes (which were a strange amber/hazel/golden color) glowed, perhaps in fury. However, he controlled his voice when he spoke.

"Never mess with Zeus, the God of Gods. I mean it."

As soon as Kimball heard those words, everything clicked. He understood why he felt a strange feeling when he first saw Zeus. That was probably the godly aura that he gave off. And how Zeus knew his name made sense now, too.

"Why should I believe you?" Kimball asked. For some reason, he didn't feel shy now. He felt…reassured, maybe.

_CRACK_. A giant bolt of lightning came down on the spire of the far away Empire State Building as the sky suddenly went dark. As soon as the thunder passed, the sky turned sunny again.

The people on the street were confused. What had just happened? But Kimball understood. Zeus had used his powers, which proved that what he had said before was all true.

"_Now_ do you believe me?"

"N-n-not really……"

Zeus shook his head. He stood in front of Kimball. Then the strangest thing happened. The god's eyes glowed until they were two bulbs of light. He held Kimball's shoulders tightly. Then, Kimball felt a shock run through his whole body. It would have knocked right through the Statue of Liberty is Zeus wasn't gripping his shoulders so tightly.

The light in Zeus's eyes died down, and they returned to their normal color. For some undefined reason, no one around them noticed the scene.

"What about now?" Zeus asked.

Kimball, still shaken from that high voltage shockwave, nodded feebly.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"What question?" Kimball asked, his voice normal again.

"If you were asked to be trained as my Apprentice, would you agree?"

"Then? Never. Now? Sure, why not. As long as you don't shock me again."

Zeus laughed, and wrapped his arm around the boy. Finding Apprentices was fun. I wonder how the others are doing, he thought inside of himself.

"Come on. Let's go to Mt. Olympus," Zeus said.

"OK."


	7. The Tempest

Here is Chapter 7, guys. I hope you like it. Note: this chapter has nothing to do with Shakespeare.

* * *

**The Tempest**

Zale looked at himself in the mirror of the locker room. He was 6'2", but at 15 years old, he was just about done growing. He had tanned a little from being out in the Miami sun for 10 years of his life, but still retained the pale complexion that he got from being Polish. His wavy brown hair reached his shoulders, the same shade of color as his eyes. A small moustache was growing above his lip. Even though he might not be able to drive yet, he could fool any unknowing person that he was 21 with his deep voice and tall stature.

Zale grabbed his backpack and went out of the boys' locker room. His friends were waiting outside for him.

"Dude, what took swim practice so long?" Mark asked.

"I don't know, I think it has something to do with our coach making us do extra laps."

His friends all raised their voices and asked why that happened. It wasn't the first time that Zale would come out of the locker room at 3:30. Thirty minutes after the official ending time of swim practice.

"Come on guys, let's hit the beach." Zale's friends agreed to go to the beach with him to sail his yacht every Thursday. Actually, it was his father's yacht, but since he was so skilled in sailing it, his father didn't mind.

They took the subway and got off at the stop nearest the beach. Their boats were already there, safeguarded by lock and key. Mark and Kevin each had their own boats that they used, so they split up and went to get them in the water. All six of them knew how sensitive Zale was about people getting on his yacht.

And he should be. The _Wiatr Jeździec_, or the wind rider, was the Graveneski's pride and joy. It had belonged to Zale's grandfather who used to live in the coastal town of Ustka. When his parents got married and moved to Warsaw, they left the _Wiatr Jeździec_ behind. However, his grandfather died when Zale was 3, so the yacht was their most prominent reminder of him. When the Graveneskis immigrated to Miami, they went to great lengths to make sure the _Wiatr Jeździec_ came with them.

"ZALE! Are you ready or not?" his friend Jonathan called a few feet away.

"Yeah!!" he yelled back.

They set sail. The October breeze was perfect for sailing today. They immediately sped far from the coast. His friends were laughing at some strange joke that Kevin had made. Zale was purposely far away from them. He believed that sailing should be a calming experience. He lied down on the starboard deck of his yacht ad let the sun beam down on him. Zale loved sailing, not because of the skill required to do it, but because of how exhilarating it was. He loved to feel the gentle rocking of the _Wiatr Jeździec_ as it was carried by the waves; he loved the sound of the seagulls calling to each other; he loved the flapping of the sails as they played with the wind.

* * *

_Where are you Zeus? I'm getting tired of watching over Olympus while you're gone._

_There's only one more day._

_That's the problem, Zeus! How am I supposed to find my Apprentice in 1 day if you did in 5?_

_Why don't you just take the Apprentice from wherever they are, and explain what happened to them later?_

_Surely not with people around!_

_Well then find an Apprentice that is alone and not noticed and bring him here. Knock him unconscious if you have to!_

_Do I do this at a distance?_

_YES! Now stop talking to me. It's hard to do this while walking with my Apprentice._

_YOU FOUND YOURS? I HATE YOU!!_

_Bye, Poseidon._

Poseidon shook his head as Zeus ended the telepathic link. Sometimes he wondered why his younger brother treated him like a baby. Seriously, Poseidon shouldn't be watching over Olympus. That wasn't his responsibility.

Poseidon took a deep breath. He'll get mad at Zeus later. But now, he needed to find his Apprentice. To do that at a distance, he needed to have a clear view of the coastal waters. He waved his hand, and a pool showing the US appeared. He scanned the shores to see if there was anyone that could be his Apprentice. There was.

* * *

It was 4:17. Zale's friends had already gone home to do the school assignments, but Zale himself stayed at sea. He could do homework later. Right now, it was just the sea, the _Wiatr Jeździec_, and him. Plus some seagulls.

Zale yawned. He felt a little sleepy today. Maybe it was because he didn't go to sleep until 3 a.m. yesterday. Stupid American Lit test.

The next thing he saw was a graying sky. Storm clouds were gathering above him. That was weird. There wasn't a storm in the forecast, was there? But Zale decided to keep on sleeping. He would naturally wake up when there was rain.

And he did. At about 5:25, Zale was awakened by a loud clap of thunder. He shot up, and saw the normally calm waters churn up large waves. A few hit the _Wiatr Jeździec_.

Not good. The yacht was trusty but fragile. Zale immediately directed his boat to the coast. But it was no use. The wind was pushing him further away from the coast instead of towards. The _Wiatr Jeździec_ was rocking dangerously side to side.

Zale panicked. He hadn't put on his life jacket. Normally he didn't, since he was a good swimmer, and today, since the weather was seemingly calm, he didn't either. Zale ran as fast as the waves allowed him to. When he reached the small cabin, he looked at the hook where he usually kept the jacket.

It wasn't there. Then Zale remembered. His father had decided to throw the thrift store jacket away and buy a new one. Apparently he forgot to put the new one in the boat.

Zale was so mad he kicked the wall of the cabin. That was a bad move. At almost the same moment, a series of huge waves hit the _Wiatr Jeździec_ knocking Zale off his feet. He hit his head on the side of the boat, making him a bit woozy.

Zale hardly noticed that the _Wiatr Jeździec_ was sinking, and that he was going down with it.


	8. Home Depot

Sorry about the wait. I kind of had a hard few weeks, so I had very little time to write. I finished Chapter 9 a few days ago, too, so that is up. Anyways here's the chapter. Try and guess who's Apprentice is found...

* * *

**Home Depot**

Terry looked at the plants on the windowsill of her plant biology class. The teacher had asked the class the grow chrysanthemums using as little or as much fertilizer, water, or other supplies. They were to record how much their plants grew every day. The teacher provided them with small chrysanthemums to start them off.

That was in September. Now, in the middle of October, Terry's plant was obviously the healthiest. Its leaves were large, and there were many flowers growing. Other students' plants were either dead or nearing death. More than most of them had yellow leaves.

Terry's teacher had told her that everyone either used too much or too little fertilizer. They also watered irregularly. Terry had added a tiny layer of fertilizer to her chrysanthemum every Monday, and watered it Tuesday and Thursday. She didn't think that it would do anything miraculous to her plant's growth, but it did. Terry's chrysanthemum grew so well that her friends called her the "green thumb".

Terry sighed and looked at the clock. 3:45. Maybe she should get going now. Grabbing her backpack, Terry headed out the door. She hopped onto the train and stared out the window onto the Seattle skyline. By the time she got home, it would be a little past four. However, there wasn't much homework to do, so Terry wondered what would keep her occupied for the rest of the day.

She was so deep in thought that she barely noticed her cell phone vibrate. Terry took it out of her pocket and picked up..

"Hello?"

"Terry?"

"Hi, Mom."

"How was school today?"

"It was OK."

"Terry, is everything all right? You don't seem normal today." Ugh. Always so overprotective.

"No. I'm just wondering…"

"Go on."

"Well, you see, our apartment hardly has anything in it except some furniture and a computer and a TV. I wanted to decorate it, you know?"

"Terry, don't you remember? We don't have that much money. We have to save every penny I earn. Decoration is just too expensive."

"But what about plants? They're cheap and pretty." Terry crossed her fingers. _Please say yes, Mom_, she thought.

"But how are you going to raise them?"

"I have the healthiest plant in plant bio. I can take care of them."

Her mother sighed. "Why don't you go to Home Depot and look around? We'll discuss it when we get home."

"Fine. Bye, Mom."

"Bye Terry." She hung up.

Terry placed her cell phone back in her pocket. A single working mom who taught at Seattle University, her mother was always too busy to spend some quality time with her daughter. It was Terry who made the food, cleaned up the house, and took care of most of the bill paying. She predicted that her mother wouldn't "discuss it when they got home." She was either always to busy or……actually, her mother was only busy. Terry would probably get the plants without any argument whatsoever.

After two stops, Terry got off. A Home Depot should be just around the corner. And sure enough, the signature orange square appeared. Terry immediately headed to the Garden Center, where all of the plants were sold. She entered the warm greenhouse and started looking around.

Plants and flowers of all shapes and colors were abundant. Terry saw the same type of chrysanthemum she was growing, as well as others. In addition, Terry saw herbs and large tree like plants. Terry smiled secretly to herself. This was going to be a fun day.

* * *

Demeter was sure that using her powers to find an Apprentice was not allowed. Zeus would get mad at her if he ever found out. But Demeter was sure that Zeus was far away. Her senses never failed her.

After going on a tedious search across Seattle, Demeter finally arrived at Home Depot. She didn't have the purpose to find an Apprentice here. All she wanted to do was to relax in the presence of foliage and flora before embarking on the search again. However, she was too curious about the plant loving inclinations of the people at the Garden Center to resist using her powers.

Demeter closed her eyes and activated her senses. She had the most powerful senses of all the Olympians. She could sense if someone was a friend or foe, and occasionally where they came from and how powerful they were. But she hardly used it for those purposes.

Demeter opened her eyes, and the scenery changed. Instead of seeing distinct people, she saw the silhouette of the people in different colors. The colors meant nothing to her; it was the vibe that the person's color gave off. In this case, the greener the feeling, the more plant loving the person was. So far, on her journey, she had felt mostly reds, oranges, and peaches. No one got past yellow. But here at the Home Depot Garden Center, Demeter was overwhelmed by the number of yellows she felt. That meant that the majority of the people there were plant loving, but not so much. There were even a few light light greens.

Wait. Demeter felt something strange. There was a green here. A very rich, true green. It felt almost as green as Demeter herself. She boosted up her senses to see if her assumptions were true. They were. Demeter walked towards the green feeling until she was about 10 feet away from it. She let go of her senses so everything was normal.

Demeter found herself standing in front of a brown haired, gray eyed teen.

* * *

"Hi. Do you need any help?" A Home Depot worker asked Terry.

"No, I'm fine. Just looking around."

"All right. Well, if you need any help, just ask." The worker smiled and left.

Terry went back to looking at the aloe plant in her hands. It was large and had plump leaves. She put that one down. Terry wanted to watch her plants grow instead of having an already grown one.

For now, Terry had in mind to but either rosemary or basil as the herb, chrysanthemums as one of flowers, and about 10 other candidates for the remaining four slots. If money permitted, Terry would also buy a few small plants to arrange in a hanging basket.

Suddenly, Terry felt a tap on her shoulder. She whirled around to find a tall, black haired woman behind her. Her light green eyes were twinkling and there was a smile on her face.

"Hello," Terry managed to say.

"Hi. What's your name?"

"Terry."

"I see you like plants," the woman said. Terry nodded.

"What are you looking for?" the woman asked.

"Some inexpensive plants to decorate my apartment."

"Oh, how nice! Maybe I could help you."

"Really? What's your name?"

"I'm Demeter. I'm kind of a plant expert." Demeter smiled.

Strange, thought Terry. Why would this woman have the same name as the goddess of grain? Oh well. She needed all the help she could get.

For the next 30 to 45 minutes, Terry and Demeter talked. Terry discussed her predicament, and Demeter listened. Demeter gave advice to Terry about plants that would grow well in an apartment environment. Sometimes, Demeter said, growing the right type of plant is more important than growing a pretty one. With that advice, Terry immediately ruled out three of her candidates for the last four flowers. Then Demeter talked about the qualities of each plant, helping Terry decide the last four plants. Demeter even offered to give instruction on how to choose plants for hanging baskets.

Terry felt good with Demeter helping her pick plants. She had a vast knowledge of everything in the Garden Center, as well as outside of the place. Demeter also got good vibes from Terry. That green feeling was very strong.

Finally, Terry decided it was time for her to leave. Her mother usually called home around this time, and would be worried if no one picked up.

"I need to go home now."

Demeter sighed. Now was probably the time.

"Well, I've enjoyed talking to you, Terry."

"Me too. Just one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Why are you named Demeter?"

Whoa. Demeter really didn't expect the girl to ask her about her name.

"Maybe I should show you why." Demeter picked up some soil from a nearby plant. She blew on the soil. Immediately, a green shoot appeared. It grew quickly, expanding and sprouting up. When it all ended, it was a bird of paradise plant.

Terry gaped.

"H-how did you do that?" she managed to mumble.

"Do you know who Demeter is in Greek mythology?" Terry nodded feebly. "Well, that's kind of who I am."

"YOU MEAN YOU'RE A GODDESS?"

"Shush! Lower your voice."

"Well? Is it true?"

Demeter nodded.

"The Olympians are in a crisis. And we need your help."

"ME? What am I supposed to do?"

"Look, Terry. I'll explain this all on the plane, but right now, we need to go. Or we won't make it to Olympus on time." Demeter's voice sounded anxious.

"But what about my mom?" Terry asked.

"That's taken care of. Now can we please go?"

"Do you promise to explain all this on the plane to………wherever?"

"I promise", Demeter said.

* * *

Good, bad, hate it, love it? Tell me in reviews! Oh, and thanks to all of the people that have read my story: Menacing Skies (STOP CHANGING YOUR NAME), Drama Queen 101 55, GL, and Emmy. Oh and I did enable anon reviews, so sending a review isn't hard. (But I do prefer signed).


	9. Levitation

Here's the ninth chapter. I'm kinda facing writer's block (ugh), so I don't have too many ideas. Chapter 10 will be up as soon as I get an idea.

**

* * *

Levitation**

At Elliot's school, bullies were the larges problem. Especially for Elliot. And a few of them were around the corner, waiting for him by the lockers.

"Yo puny! Where ya going?" the largest one asked.

Elliot stayed silent. Apparently this didn't really work, because two of the bullies threw his books on the floor.

"Go away," Elliot managed to say. He wondered why his voice was so high. Elliot bent to pick up his books.

"You wish." The bully kicked Elliot on the floor, knocking him to his knees.

Now was probably the time to run. Elliot grabbed his backpack and his books. He slid between the bully's legs, surprising him. It was only when he was nearing the door did they start to chase him.

Elliot bounded down the steps two at a time. He jumped from the fourth stair up and continued running towards his bike. Elliot could feel his heart and lungs wearing down. He was never a good runner, and tired out easily. Elliot stole a quick glance backwards, and saw that his bullies were at the stairs.

Elliot hopped on his bike. He could see the bullies going towards their car. Elliot swore. Man, did they ever stop chasing him?

He decided the best plan would be to go home, while taking a long detour. This would slow down the bullies, because of the giant dumpster in the middle of that alley. Elliot pedaled quickly, pumping his legs. Two minutes later, a silver convertible jammed with profanity screaming boys followed. The bullies were speeding just to catch up with him.

Time to go into the alley. Elliot took a sharp turn. There it was, just like he expected. A giant red dumpster sitting in the middle of the road. Elliot looked back at the car, whose drivers were stupid enough to follow him. Elliot chuckled a little, then slid rode through the small space between the wall and the dumpster.

Unfortunately, some careless resident had left a bag of garbage next to the dumpster. With no time to react, Elliot's bike flipped, causing him to get a faceful of smelly GLAD bags.

Elliot groaned. He tried to get up, only to fall back down. He reached down to his ankle, and felt that it was a little big. But there was no time to worry about his foot. Elliot felt his collar being pulled on.

"Nice try. But nerds never get away from us."

"Dude! Just let me go!" Elliot tried to squirm out of the bully's grip.

"Sweet move, Damien," one of the other bullies commented.

The guy name Damien laughed. "Thanks, man." Then he punched Elliot in the stomach.

Elliot felt like throwing up. It was enough to be punched in the stomach, but to be hanging by the collar in midair? Not the best situation.

Elliot barely remembered what happened next. There was a large gust of wind. Somehow, the silver convertible began to rise.

"What the hell is happening?" Damien asked.

"Maybe the puny guy is doing it!"

Yeah right. Did Elliot look like the type of person who was able to do that?

The convertible continued to rise until it was about 15 feet in the air. Damien and his goons were definitely freaking out now.

"DUDE! Let's get the crap out of here!"

"I'm trying to start the car, but nothings happening!"

Elliot was confused as well. What was making the convertible float?

He heard on of the bullies shout something. Apparently it was "Let the puny go", because no sooner than that happened, Elliot fell tumbling onto the dumpster. He rolled precariously off, landing on the rock hard blacktop.

Whatever (or whoever) was causing the car to float had stopped. As soon as the car crashed down, the bullies took no time at all to put the drive into reverse, and run head away on the streets.

Elliot stared down that direction for a while. When he turned away, he was almost sure that he saw a person running on the roofs of the buildings.

With panic running through his veins, Elliot pedaled home as fast as he could.

* * *

The silver convertible headed towards the highway. Hermes stopped. It would be impossible to follow the bullies without drawing attention. He stopped at the edge of the entrance, watching as the silver convertible fade further away.

Hermes wasn't sure why he was following them. It wasn't like the boy was going to be his Apprentice. Or was he? Hermes thought about it for a little. The short, awkward looking boy hardly looked like the type for the Apprentice of a god. But he had been in Detroit for about a week, and all the boys that he thought would make good Apprentices had turned out to be either stupid or gang bangers. He sighed. He could give "puny" a shot.

But right now, Hermes had to make sure those silver convertible riding punks got what they deserved. They reminded him too much of Ares. He could not stand that guy.

Hermes took off his Gap sweatshirt, and tied around his waist. He started running on the street that ran alongside the highway. When the convertible came off the whatever exit they chose, Hermes would be ready.

Hermes ran. He felt the wind blowing on his face, rippling through his hair. He had to make sure that he didn't run too fast, though. Sometimes he would inadvertently fly, even without his winged sandals.

Hermes ran for a long time. He really didn't know how long, because his body didn't tire at all. Finally, the silver convertible finally got off an exit. Hermes felt relieved. They were finally going to stop, which meant that he could carry out his plan.

Hermes finally stopped when the silver convertible parked in front of a 7-11. The four boys went in the store. Hermes sat down on the driveway, the shadows covering him completely. He put his sweatshirt back on, and then fumbled in its pockets for some sleep dust. Something he made himself.

As soon as the boys got in to their car again, Hermes blew the sleep dust off his hands. He directed them over to the car. The boys fell asleep. Hermes smiled to himself. The sleep dust worked like magic. He then took out the bottle of wine that he had bribed Dionysus for. Drunk D always made the best stuff in the world, whether he was giddy or not. The certain wine that Hermes had in its hand was so alcoholic that only the gods could handle it.

Hermes drank a large swig of the wine before feeding the rest of it to the boys. He could almost imagine the faces of Damien and his friends when they found themselves arrested for underage drinking and drunk driving. But to make the predicament even more complicated, Hermes willed the car to rise, then threw it. The shiny car landed among a bunch of trees. It would look like the boys had partied hard, then crashed. A perfect drunk driving scene.

Hermes left his masterwork laughing.

* * *

Elliot felt extremely tired today. His throbbing ankle probably had something to do with it. Why did Damien have to bully him today, of all days, when Elliot had the most homework to do? He shuddered as he remembered the goons' grotesque faces.

And that floating. That was the weirdest thing that could happen in the whole world. Who had caused it? And why did it happen?

It was now 9:37. Elliot didn't usually stay up that late. But since his mother was probably at a bar getting drunk again, he had to be awake to make sure she didn't forget how to open the door.

There was a loud rapping coming from the window. Shivers ran up Elliot's back. Who was trying to get in?

Elliot grabbed the broomstick that was propped up in his apartment hall. He then headed towards his window, with the broomstick ready to hit whoever came in.

In one swift movement, Elliot opened the curtains.

"AH!" Elliot felt his heart skip a beat.

He had just seen a man looking at him. But the strange thing was that the man wasn't hanging on to anything. He looked to be…

Elliot opened the curtains, and found the man laughing.

"What do you want?" Elliot asked as he opened the window.

"Thank the gods you opened the window. I don't like using my wings to levitate." The man stepped into the room.

"Back off!" Elliot held his broom like a spear. How strange he must have looked.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the man said innocently.

Elliot whacked the man with the broomstick. Seeing that he didn't react, he swung again, this time harder.

But Elliot missed. He felt the broomstick being wrenched out. But as Elliot looked down, he found that the man didn't even move.

Wait. Why did he look _down_?

Elliot found his back smack something. As he twisted to see what it was, he found that it was the ceiling. Elliot was levitating. Was the man doing this to him?

The man looked at him, and cocked a sly smirk. "I believe we haven't been introduced. Who are you?"

"Elliot. Phillisburg." Now was the time to ask questions. "Who are you? What are you doing? What do you want? Why are you in my room? And are you doing the levitation?"

"Whoa! One at a time dude."

"Fine."

"I am Hermes, one of the Olympians. I am looking for an Apprentice, someone to train. I want someone that I can bring to Olympus so that we can defeat whatever is harming us. I am in your room because I thought you would make a good Apprentice. And yes, I am doing the levitation." Hermes released Elliot, so that they were right in front of each other. "I think that answers your questions, right?"

Elliot nodded. "What's this Apprentice crap? Why am I part of it?"

"Sometimes, Elliot, it's best to not ask questions and just accept the facts. But I won't take you if you don't want to be my Apprentice."

Silence.

"So? What about it?"

"OK…………Do I need anything?" Immediately after Elliot said that, he regretted it. What if Hermes was a fake? Nah. Would a fake be able to levitate him? And if Hermes did want to kill him, he would have already don it.

"Nope. Leave everything here. Everything is provided."

"So…how are we going to get to Olympus?"

"We're going to fly."

"On a plane, or levitating?"

Hermes laughed. "Smart. Actually, both. Hold on to me."

Elliot did so. Then, he heard the light flapping of wings as they flew out the window.

He was "Whoo-hoo"ing the whole way.

"Seriously! I didn't do it!"

The officer looked disbelievingly at Damien. "The alcohol level of you an your friends are way above the limit. You crashed into that tree because you were drunk. It's obvious."

"I didn't do it! I swear! I don't even party! We just stopped by a 7-11, and then the next thing we knew, we were in a bunch of trees!"

"Look at your eyes. They're bloodshot, and full of lies."

"NO! I seriously didn't do it!"

The officer's partner took out some cuffs and arrested all four of them.

* * *

I haven't seen too many reviews. I can see from my stats that I have a decent amount of readers have viewed this. But you haven't reviewed! (Yes, you know who you are). Seriously, it takes like SOOOOO long to review, like 3 minutes or something. --Sarcasm. I'm not asking for a specific number (though 100 or more by the time I finish the story would be nice). But if my review number goes up to 7 or more, I PROMISE THAT CHAPTER 10 WILL BE UP WITHIN 2 DAYS OF HITTING 7 REVIEWS. So review if you want to see who is chosen next.


	10. Some Random Hobo

My sincere apologies. I know I said that I would update within 2 days of 7 reviews. But since I haven't checked Gmail...

Anyways. Don't complain because this IS a weird chapter. But suggestions are nice.**

* * *

**

**Some Random Hobo**

"Basically I want an Apprentice who could be trained. He shouldn't be good at making things, because then I wouldn't really be able to teach him." Looking around, Hephaestus saw the citizens on the street looking at him strangely. Did he really say it that loud? Some of the people turned back around, but others still looked at him. He smiled at them innocently, and rounded the corner.

Hephaestus sighed. Maybe he should actually stop talking to himself, and instead, find an Apprentice. But he couldn't help it. Hephaestus was a lonely guy. And he talked to himself all the time. Still, it wasn't his fault he wasn't doing anything. He had a bad leg. And speaking of his leg, Hephaestus looked down. Stupid thing. The leg was fine when he was working in the forge, when he had helpers to aid him. But here, the leg would prevent him from walking around downtown and looking for an Apprentice.

Hephaestus dragged his leg to a nearby bench. He sat down, and let the hot Phoenix sun beat down on his face. Perhaps he could let his Apprentice come to him.

* * *

"KENNY!"

"I'm coming down!!" Kenneth yelled, popping his head out of the window. God, he thought, did his friend ever stop? And why did they have to call him Kenny? Seriously, a fourteen year old should not be called the baby name that his parents used back then…….and now.

"KENNY! KENNY WILKERSEN! Get down here, now!"

"GOD! It's only been two seconds!"

"Then get down!"

Kenneth couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his book shut, and then bounded down the stairs. He dodged his six year old brother, who was making airplane noises. Half tripping over his siblings' mess of toys, Kenneth made it to his bike. He kicked open the door. His friends were waiting for him.

"Are you happy now?" Kenneth said defiantly.

"Yes." His friend Paul said. The boys behind him, Michael and Bigfoot, snickered.

"So where do you impatient boys want to go today?" Kenneth asked.

"Let's hit downtown, man," Michael suggested.

Bigfoot piped up. "Wanna race there, dudes?"

"Last one there is a dead bird in the desert!" Paul called, already a few feet ahead of everyone. Michael and Bigfoot followed immediately.

"Wait up you idiots!" Kenneth yelled. He swung his legs over his bike, and pedaled as fast as he could.

The four friends sped off to downtown Phoenix, with the sun on their backs and the wind on their face. They would constantly change leads, first Paul, then Bigfoot, then Kenneth, then Michael, and back to Paul again. The wheels of the bike whirred as the boys made their way across streets, over bridges, and around steep turns. Phoenix residents and tourists quickly got out of the way as three African American and one white boy careened perilously on concrete curbs.

Eventually Kenneth and his friends made their way to Panera Bread. However, this wasn't a normal Panera Bread, since Bigfoot's brother (who everyone called Longneck) owned it. The guys parked their bikes on a nearby bike rack, brushed off their pants, and entered the Panera Bread.

"Longneck! Where the hell are you?" Bigfoot yelled down the hall. 2 minutes later, a tall apron wearing man with a frizzy half afro appeared.

"Shut your giant trap, Jamale. I can't have my brother yelling Longneck while I'm trying to work."

"Too bad. Now give me and my homies something to eat." Bigfoot stuck out his hand as he was expecting something.

"No. You gotta pay. Like all my other customers." Longneck started to go back working.

Bigfoot rolled his eyes. "You still owe me for covering up for you when you dented Momma's car."

Longneck started. He scowled. "Fine, but don't go overboard. And sit over there so I can see you." The boys sat down where they were directed. Longneck beckoned one of his waiters to bring a menu to them. The hungry boys immediately ordered, and they didn't have to wait long for the breads, soups and drinks to arrive.

"So, Bigfoot. Tell us about the car, man." Paul nudged his friend on the shoulder while taking a huge bite into his sandwich.

"All right. But if anyone asks, you ain't hear nothing from me, y'all." The boys nodded. "Well, Longneck was out partying, and since he still doesn't have a car, he took my mom's. And when he was going home, he apparently forgot that STOP signs are not meant to be bumped into. And he scratched the car." Satisfied that he had humiliated his brother, Bigfoot sat back and slurped his mocha.

"Well, I'm glad that your brother dented the car. This stuff is really good," Michael commented. He had the most food on his plate, with a crispani, 2 sandwiches, a share of salad, and soup. Almost half it was gone, too.

"Same here, man," Kenneth said. He patted Bigfoot on the shoulder.

For the next half hour, the boys stayed at Panera Bread, enjoying their free food. Except for Longneck constantly coming out to keep a wary eye on them, everything was fine.

Kenneth was in the middle of telling a joke when Paul called out.

"DUDE! Turn around!"

Kenneth whipped his head towards the window. There was a bulky and bearded man trying to undo Kenneth's lock on the bike.

"Oh, shit man." Kenneth jumped over Bigfoot, and sped out the door. But when he finally arrived at the bike, the man had already slashed his wheels and left.

Bigfoot, Paul, and Michael came to join him outside. Kenneth bent down to look at the shreds of his bike wheels.

"You all right, man?" he heard Paul ask.

Kenneth shook his head, and turned to his friends. "You guys finish up. I'll go and try to fix this up." He undid his lock, and started to back out of the bike rack.

Michael stopped him. "Are you positive?" Kenneth nodded. He then left his friends.

Kenneth walked a few blocks before finally sitting down on a bench. He propped his bike against the side of the bench. He took a long and deep breath, and rubbed his forehead. Kenneth knew of a bike repair shop that he used to go to, and it was downtown somewhere. But he didn't remember the address. Kenneth decided to go home to find a nearby body shop. That was obviously better than wandering around aimlessly downtown hoping to find somewhere to get the bike repaired.

So Kenneth took off, awaiting the long walk that was between him and home. Passing corners, streets, and bridges, he finally made it to about 1 mile from his house. Exhausted, and not wanting to go any further, Kenneth sat down on the sidewalk. He let his bike fall next to him.

The sun was still high in the horizon, even though it was pretty late. A gentle breeze blew across the street, cooling the pools of sweat on Kenneth's face. He rubbed his overstressed calves and stretched. Knowing that his siblings and parents would be worried about him, Kenneth got back up again and kept on walking.

There was a small bar near the corner, and it was there that Kenneth saw a hobo tucked into a dark alcove. Not exactly a real hobo, the ones with huge winter jackets and crude cardboard signs. This one was a man with a huge beard a disheveled face. In addition, one of his legs seemed to be twisted. The man had a tin can next to him. An empty one.

Kenneth found that he felt sorry for the man. Taking a stray dollar in his pocket, he walked over to the man and tossed it in the can. Kenneth began to turn around, but the man said something.

"Stop."

Kenneth stopped. But was he really supposed to do the bidding of hobos? He started to walk away towards his broken bike.

"NO, seriously. Stop." Kenneth could hear the hobo get up.

"Why? I gave you money. What else do you want?" Kenneth to sound brave. _How pathetic_, he thought to himself.

"Money isn't everything. Not to me."

_Finally a hobo who doesn't care about money. But what else could he possibly want?_

Kenneth decided to turn back around. When he did, he saw that the hobo had gotten rid of its previous appearance. Instead of a huge dishelved beard, there was a clean cut buzz on the man's chin. The disheleved features were gone, revealing a rather ugly looking face. As Kenneth's gaze went down towards the hobo's legs, he saw that the lame one was bent at an oblique angle.

"Why not?" Kenneth asked.

"Because I have to talk to you."

_Shit! Now was probably the time to run._ Kenneth tried to move, but his feet failed to obey his panicked commands.

The man spoke again. "Before you start to run, let me just explain."

"NO." Kenneth stared into the man's eyes, hopefully conveying his message successfully. "Whatever it is, no. I don't want anything to do with you."

"COME ON CAN YOU SERIOUSLY LET ME EXPLAIN?"

Though this was more convincing than what happened before, Kenneth still reached for his cell phone. He flipped it open, and pressed the numbers for the police.

"If you do anything, I'm going to call." Kenneth held out his phone and made it sound as threatening as possible.

The man sighed. "My name is Hephaestus. Look, the deal is that me and my 11……um _friends_ need some help. And I think you would be able to help us."

Kenneth narrowed his eyes. He lowered his phone, but didn't let his guard down. "What makes you thinks I'll do that?"

"You helped me when I was a hobo. Or looked at one."

"Come on. Everyone gives hoboes money." Horrible lie, and Kenneth knew it.

"Yeah, like that tin can had lots of bucks in it." Hephaestus rolled his eyes. The sarcasm stung like poison. At least to Kenneth. "If everyone gave hoboes money, the ones on the street would be millionaires by now."

"My point _is_ ," Hephaestus continued, "that if you helped me as a hobo and gave me money, then you'd probably help me and my friends."

"Go on."

"Well there isn't really anything left for me to say……" Hephaestus' voice trailed off.

"You know, man, the plan that you're offering me is sounding a little shallow. There has to be a catch."

"There _is_…… but it's complicated……Come on, you'll get reimbursed, and if anything goes wrong, you can hold my friends and I liable. So plan to sue us or whatever you want."

Reimbursement sounded good to Kenneth. And lawsuits could get ugly, but at least whatever happened would be justified.

Kenneth sighed. He was going to look back on this and laugh _so_ hard.

He snapped the phone shut. Hephaestus offered an angled smile, and led Kenneth off.

* * *

_My gods,_ Hephaestus laughed to himself. _The others are going to jeer at my antics. I mean_, a hobo_? And I wonder why the kid didn't realize or ask that I was a god or not. Hm. I'll tell him on the plane._

I hope this was all right. Yesterday, I had this burning headache, two extremely large homework assignments, and some stupid boys were peeking behind my back being nosy. (Do I ever get any privacy these days?)

Now to salute all of you reviews (thanks):

Drama Queen 10155: Hera's chapter is next!!

Lyz Shadow: I don't believe that I will make Hades emo or punk or goth. He will be a wild card amongst the gods I think.

Penguiny (by the way, suggestions are AWESOME): 1. Bellatrix has had a hard life, as you will find out later. Be patient please. 2. Chase is good at music, but not so good at some other things. All of the characters will need to develop. Be patient (again).

How's about 5 more for the next chapter?

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	11. The President

Ok, so I realized that reviews aren't the most important thing in writing fanfiction. But how I realized that is a long story. So I'll jsut say that I realized that fanfiction is not only for reviews, but to try out my writing skills.

This chapter is dedicated to Drama Queen 10155, my first reviewer who I didn't know personally. Hope this is OK.

* * *

**The President**

Powerful. Regal. In control. The girl was the perfect Apprentice for Hera. She looked for someone who had the ability to kick other's butts. And the young sophomore was feared and respected in her school, able to get whatever she wanted.

Hera had originally come to Las Vegas to find an Apprentice that appreciated marriage. But when she thought about it, if her Apprentice was caught up in love, she might get distracted. Hera's Apprentice needed to be able to fight, as well as understand her duty as an Apprentice. The lovey-dovey Apprentice would be up to Aphrodite's girl.

Hera took another look into the eyes of the peacock fan. She saw the girl working furiously on her classwork. Her backpack was twice as large as her classmates'. Plus, she had books and papers jumbled up in a messy pile on her lap and on her desk. Poor girl. Power did have its toll on her, making her super-busy. Hopefully, she could be easily persuaded to join the Apprentices.

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Alexis looked up and sighed. Probably another Student Council message. As Ms. Zalen, her social science teacker, went to the door, Alexis got ready to stand up.

"Message for Alexis Phorril."

Alexis bounded through the aisles of chairs and desks. She snatched the paper from the scrawny freshman. She read the typed print: _To all student body presidents, vice presidents, secretaries, and treasurers, please submit your plans for the year today instead of tomorrow. There will be a short meeting, and a discussion with other Student Council members of you student body about a major activity will follow. A plan for the major activity must be submitted by the end of the month. Sincerely, Ella Roberts, President of Student Council._

Alexis crumpled the message in her fist in frustration. The errand boy looked in astonishment. Ugh. A newbie all right.

"Tell Ella that I'll be there," Alexis said, sending the freshman off. _And that I'm going to overthrow her for giving us so much crap to do._ Ever since the last President had left the school as a senior last year, Student Council had never been the same. Ella apparently had some different ideas than her predecessor. Under the last President, Ethan, Alexis had found guidance as a new freshman President. The rule of was one of relaxation. He believed in making the school year restful for both the students and the StuCo members (who were busier than most).

When Ella was elected, everything changed. The colorful and symbolic walls with messages all over it was painted over. Fluffy chairs were replaced with stiff wooden ones. Everything turned drab and blah. And to make matters worse, Ella believed that StuCo members didn't work hard enough. AS IF THE HOURS THAT THEY SACRIFICED DAILY WEREN'T ENOUGH!! So now, she assigned multiple tasks to be completed in a bizarre amount of time. The student body would surely enjoy the activities that Ella organized. But not StuCo members. Never.

_I hate that girl. Next year, I'm going to run against her, and WIN!_ Vengeance surged through her blood, propelling her to finish her Social Science assignment in the next three minutes.

Very soon after, the bell signifying the end of 8th period rung. Alexis hustled to get her stuff in her backpack, then headed towards the library. For the next 55 minutes, she jammed as much homework as she could. Most of the time, she started an assignment, then moved on to another one so that at least all of them could be begun. But finally, the bell of doom rung, prompting Alexis to gather her stuff again. She trudged through the masses towards the StuCo meeting room.

Other StuCo members, as well as the ones Alexis commanded, trickled in slowly. By 3:45, all members had arrived.

"Hello, my Student Council members!" a cheery voice piped from the corner.

A bottle blonde girl danced in the room. Ella Roberts, the most hated StuCo President, and the preppiest girl in the world. Ella was wearing a purple argyle patterned top with a short, pink plaid skirt. Strange how she herself was so colorful, and the room that she "designed" was so plain.

"Now does everyone have their plans?" Ella asked, looking all bouncy.

The student body Presidents handed in their plans. Alexis herself was happy to get rid of the papers that Ella forced them to put in polka dot folders. Ella happily took the polka dotted folders and filed them away.

"OK, here's the new assignment that I told you guys about. The folder has everything you need to know. If you have questions, ask me. And as always, work hard!" Ella smiled, showing her whitened teeth.

Ella handed out the folders. Now Alexis had thought that the polka dots would be the end of the preppiness, but no, Ella handed them GINGHAM folders! And worse, all of the pages were in curly font, printed in pink, and had the preppiest borders _ever_.

Alexis silently screamed in her head. How was she going to survive this year!? But with the help of her StuCo members, she was able to suffer through. In fact, the sophomore StuCo members had been able to get a head start on their plan for the major activity.

Fortunately, Ella did not speak to StuCo again, so Alexis was free to leave when she pleased. She headed to her locker, and then went out the door.

Alexis was headed down the block towards the train station when she saw a woman at the corner. She was wearing a rich purple dress and was fanning herself with at strange looking peacock fan.

Alexis thought that the woman didn't want anything, so she decided to walk away. But the woman spoke.

"Can I talk to you?" the woman asked.

Alexis turned. "OK…."

"I should introduce myself. My name is Hera, one of the Olympians. We are seeking people like you who can help us."

"WHAT! You mean the Olympians exist?"

Hera looked displeased. "What do you mean? They've always existed. Not our fault that the world doesn't believe in us or the other gods anymore."

"So, um, what do you want?" Alexis asked, unsure.

"It's complex. But the simple explanation is that some weird force is destroying us. Personally, I don't think it exists, and that it poses any _real_ danger, but the rest of the Olympians find value in training humans."

"So……You're going to recruit humans to fight? But why can't you fight on your own?"

"Because we can't. The force can't be destroyed by us."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Hera sighed. "I really didn't want it to get to here. Your name is Alexis Phorril. You're 15, a sophomore. You are the sophomore President for Student Council. And you really really hate Ella Roberts."

Alexis was astounded by the amount of information. But the Hera woman could have just looked it up. Still, Hera didn't look like the type of person to do that kind of thing. But was Alexis ready to do something like this? She was only fifteen…

"So? What's your answer?"

_Here goes nothing_, Alexis thought.

"I'd rather not."

Hera raised her eyebrows. "Why not?"

Alexis shrugged. "I don't think I'm ready……Look, I like my life, OK? I don't want to leave Vegas, even though it's filled with gamblers and other crap. I like being a StuCo president, being bossed around by Ella, and being so busy I get only 6 hours of sleep! And…what you're proposing is _dangerous_!" She took a breath, hoping that Hera was convinced. "Can't you get another person?"

"No. It's too late." Hera looked away, and then turned around. She took out a piece of paper and wrote down something. "Here. This is where I'll be staying. If you change your mind, come here."

Alexis looked down on the paper, and read the regal cursive. When she looked up again, Hera was gone.

Alexis tried to put the experience behind her, but it bugged her on the ride home. She thought long and hard on whether she should go back to Hera or stick with her normal life.

That night, Alexis had a hard time concentrating on her homework. Numbers and words would always distract her and got her thinking about Hera again. Staying at home would mean that she could live her current life without any worries. But a voice inside of her spoke up. Alexis was reminded of her past, when her spirit dared her to try _anything_. That young Alexis had died when she entered high school. But the spirit remained. Its small voice urged her to go with Hera and have an adventure. _Well, maybe that was going too far_, Alexis said to herself.

But the dangers of going still nagged her. The paradox of decisions frustrated Alexis so much that she threw a pen at the wall. She held her head in her hands. She took out the paper the Hera gave her. _325 Convention Center,Dr. Las Vegas 89109, Room 256 _was written_._ Alexis opened another window, and looked the place up. The result was Marriott Las Vegas.

After printing directions to the hotel from the train, Alexis snuck out the back door. As she was on the almost empty train, she almost regretted her decision a few times. Alexis's stomach would feel queasy, and she would have to reassure herself that she needed to do this.

After finally arriving at Marriott, Alexis took the elevator up. She reached room 256, and hesitated to knock. Finally she did. After rapping sharply three times, Alexis held her breath. Then, the door opened.

"I see you've changed your mind," Hera said.

"Yes I have."

"So you don't think you're too young for this anymore?"

"Not necessarily."

Hera raised her eyebrows, and crossed her arms. "Well, if that's the case, then we should probably get going."

"Fine with me."

* * *

How about it? I did tell you that I realized reviews aren't that important, but I STILL LIKE THEM!! Suggestions are welcome. I am looking forward to hearing from all you guys.

I got the other chapters done (2 more intros left!)-- that's 3 chapters in 2 days!! I would post them up if it wasn't for these idiots trying to spy on me. (No, I'm really serious).


	12. The Trailer Park

Hey everyone. In response to a bunch of you guys' requests to add Hades' chapter, I hurried up. And because there are so many reviewers that mad my count go up to 21, I'm really happy. Therefore, Aphrodite's chapter is coming up next, and it's the last one of the intros! (Then I have to start writing again, so don't bug me too much).

The beginning of this chapter might be confusing, so let me just tell you that it's a telepathic communication between Zeus and Poseidon and Hades. Flash back to Zale's chapter and you might remember what it is. (And in my fanfic, I put Hades as the oldest son of Cronos, then Poseidon, then Zeus. OK?)

* * *

**The Trailer Park**

_Come on. I'm the oldest son of Cr-our dad. I deserve to know._

_I'm telling you, I don't think our little brother wants you to know._

_There isn't much time left!_

_You must be glad Zeus gave us an extension._

_SHUT UP POSEIDON. Go back to watching over your little sea kingdom._

_Hi, guys, what are you talking about?_ Zeus suddenly popped in the telepathic link.

_You're back already, Zeus?_

_No, Poseidon, I'm on the plane._

_Hey, little bro?_ Hades asked.

_Yeah Hades?_

_Poseidon isn't telling me how he got his Apprentice._

_That's nice. _Zeus said, laughing in his head.

_Come on! At least you can give me an idea._

_Well, my dear lord of the Underworld, what I told Poseidon to do was to grab an Apprentice._

_Grab? You're kidding Zeus._

_Nope. I actually grabbed him. _Poseidon interjected.

_Oh, what did you do, grab him from the streets?_

_Well, I caused a storm and brought him here._

_WHAT!?_ Hades and Zeus yelled.

_Do you know how dangerous that is?_

_Yes, Zeus, but it was you who told me to do it in the first place._ Poseidon then addressed Hades. _Now do you know how to get an Apprentice without leaving?_

_Uh-huh. Wait, but if we can do it, then why didn't others do it?_

_Don't say anything Hades. Don't you dare._ Zeus then immediately cut off the telepathic link. Poseidon followed, leaving Hades to himself.

_Grab. What an interesting idea_, he thought.

* * *

"QUIET!! I'm trying to work on my homework!" Donovan shouted to his siblings in the living room. Or rather, the place that they called the living room.

He shut and barred his door with a broomstick. Then he sat down on his bed. Using the window ledge as his desk, Donovan struggled to finish his paper assignments. It was hard to live in a trailer park when you went to a good school, and it was harder to have loud siblings younger than you, as well as an older one to busy to pay attention to you. Not to mention parents who worked overtime. At least he was able to stay after school to finish most of his homework.

But no matter how many assignments (typed of paper) Donovan finished, he was always yelling at his two sisters and one brother to shut up. With a tiny TV that they all wanted to use, it could get chaotic sometimes. And it was Donovan's responsibility to clear up those messes. Sometimes he wondered why he was born into this family. Both him and his older brother were smart, and went to good schools, but had to toil with the life the underprivileged. Someday, when Donovan became rich, he would make sure that all smart kids were not poor.

A high piercing scream killed his daydream. Kicking open his door, he found his sisters fighting over the remote. Donovan rolled his eyes and went over to them. He snatched the remote out of their hands and held it high out of their reach.

"Can you guys stop fighting?" he asked them, frustration more than obvious. "Do I have to tell you how many times we've done this? Don't you guys have something else to do _other_ than watching TV?"

His sisters said something in Spanish, which Donovan didn't bother to listen to. His little brother stayed silent in the corner.

"Look, this is always going to happen. I know that you want to watch TV, but if you're going to _fight_, then I can't let that happen."

That _really_ pissed them off. The little kids started to scream and pout, cursing at him in Spanish. They tried to reach for the remote, climbing the sofa and coffee table. Donovan paid no attention to them. He calmly walked towards his room, then shut and barred the door. His siblings, desperate to get the remote, pounded and kicked the door.

Donovan screamed into his pillow. _Why, why, why?_ He repeated over and over again in his head. Why did he have to go though this?

Tired and worn out, he laid his head on the window stared outside. Donovan could see the faint outline of the Dallas skyline from his mobile home. How he wished to someday live there. He would live in one of the high rise condos. Every day, he'll stare out at the city below him. He would wander endlessly around the city, and come back home to his room with an expensive computer and hi-def TV. Oh, with a giant overstocked fridge, too.

Donovan shook his head. He daydreamed too much. This was probably never going to happen unless he got pretty rich. And Donovan knew that unless he put up with his current life, he wouldn't get there.

It took a while for Donovan to realize that his siblings had quieted down. Grabbing his keys and a jacket, Donovan unbarred his door.

"Hey," he called out to his siblings. "Catch." Then, he threw the remote towards them. Immediately, the kids started fighting over it. Donovan slapped his forehead, and headed out the door.

There was a skateboarding rink near the trailer park. Painted with graffiti and filled with potholes, it was very beat up. But teens still brought their skateboards there, and competed against each other. Donovan, since he didn't have a skateboard, usually just sat on the ledge watching.

Today was especially humid. Donovan sensed that it was going to rain. But he still stayed out. His family didn't necessarily care if he came in bone dry or soaking wet. A few skateboarders were there, still doing tricks to show off. Donovan sat down on the cement and hung is legs over the ledge. He looked up at the gray sky. It was choked up with clouds, with the sun a bright white orb in the corner. Donovan then surveyed his surroundings. You could probably describe it as rustic, with the old mobile homes, dead looking trees, and messy backyards.

He didn't know how long he sat there one the ledge. It was obviously longer than usual, because the skateboarders had all left. Donovan put on his jacket and hugged his legs. He stared down at the skating rink. It was like a giant colorful pit. He secretly hated the pit, because of all the profanity graffitied across it. Donovan concentrated on the outline of the words, and the colors that were used to make them. Before he realized it, he was down in the pit, staring at the graffiti like museum art.

Suddenly, Donovan felt a slight rocking underneath him. At first, it was light, so he ignored it. But then it happened again. This time it was stronger. But before Donovan could ponder about what was causing it, a large shake brought him down to his feet. He tried to recover his senses, and made sure that he wasn't hurt.

Donovan sighed and started to get up. It was probably best to go home to his screaming siblings. But no later than 3 seconds after he picked himself up, a giant hole opened beneath him. He immediately fell into it.

Donovan was started sliding down the hole. He was able to turn back and see that the opening had closed. Panic overwhelmed him. What was he going to do? More importantly, what was he _able_ to do? Sliding in pitch black earth with dirt spilling on his face didn't have too many opportunities for him to try to get out. So he just squeezed his eyes shut and hoped that nothing serious happened.

Maybe about a half an later, Donovan saw a light beneath him. Well, maybe _light_ was a stretch. It was just some patch of earth that wasn't pitch black. Donovan braced himself for whatever was next.

He fell.

Donovan was suspended in the air for about 10 seconds, then landed on his back. For a moment he was dizzy, then regathered his senses. He was in front of a giant temple. The landscape around him contained rivers and dark earth.

"Where am I?" Donovan thought out loud.

* * *

How about it? Review please :) And since Aphrodite's chapter has been posted, I'll post up all my salutes there.


	13. Goddess at Chanel

As you can tell by the title, this is going to be a very girly chapter. But bear with me, since the Apprentice's personality which is revealed here is important later on.

Heads up to a certain reviewer: the girl here doesn't go with a fight, too much, and I know that. Don't try to kill me.

* * *

**Goddess at Chanel**

Aphrodite flounced in the Juicy Couture store. Heads turned immediately. The people in the store saw a beautiful blonde carrying a vast amount shopping bags.

"Welcome to Juicy Couture, ma'am!" a woman said. Aphrodite smiled and daintily waved.

In just one week, Aphrodite had tracked down all of the designer shops in Los Angeles and shopped in them. Her hotel room was stocked full of designer clothes. Zeus had told her that she should refrain from buying stuff when finding her Apprentice. But what did he know? After all, she was the goddess of love and beauty. She decided whether she should fill her Olympian closet more on her trip to Los Angeles. Not Zeus!

Aphrodite suddenly remembered what she was _really_ here for. _Oh well,_ she thought to herself._ Shopping first, Apprentice hunting next._

* * *

Linette de Lafayette was the queen of her school. There was no doubting it. Her French, immigrant parents were rich. Her mother was a lawyer, and her father was a surgeon. And Linette? She was the super popular, ultra pretty, designer- clothes-owning-fashion-advising-owning-a-closet-full-of-designer-brand-items cheerleader.

Everyone loved Linette. Everyone wanted to be like Linette. Everyone wanted to have what Linette had. (Well, maybe except for the nerds in the school). As soon as Linette walked into a room, everyone turned. The words _popular, pretty,_ and _designer_ floated around her. She _was_ the ultimate popularity queen.

Linette's influence in school was limited to passing period and lunch. But after school……now _that_ was a different story. No matter how fast she got to her locker, people were always there before her. They watched her every move as she placed her books into her pink locker. If they weren't doing that, then they were probably commenting on her awesome Hollister sweatshirt or Gucci handbag. Some people, like the ones who didn't care about popularity (poor idiots!), would tell her followers that they were going overboard. But Linette couldn't help it. That was the effect she had on people.

Today, her three best best best friends were at her locker. Melinda, Jenny, and Majesty waved to her. Linette waved back.

She got to her locker. Twisting the dial and pulling, Linette flung open the locker door. Inside was a mirror, a mini makeup compartment, and a tiny shelf for her books. Everything was pink, of course. (Like anything in Linette's world _wasn't_ pink!)

"I _love_ your Louis Vuitton bag, Linette. Where did you get it?" Melinda asked.

"I got it as a 14th birthday present."

"Wasn't that a long time ago?"

"Yeah, but I just _had_ to wait for the right outfit, you know!" Melinda smiled and nodded in agreement.

Linette turned to Jenny. "Nice Abercrombie & Fitch shirt. But I think it'd look better with those purple flip flops you wore last week. Not those." She pointed to the worn sneakers on Jenny's feet. Jenny nodded.

Five minutes later, Linette and her friends were out the door. As usual, they sat on the cement stairs and chatted. Majesty, who always got the top girl magazines, was passing around a copy of _Seventeen_ and _Cosmopolitan_. The girls talked gossip, occasionally glancing around and blushing, flushing, and gushing when some cute boys passed by.

Linette glanced at her Swarovski watch. "Oops! Its 3:30, guys. I kind of have to go home now."

Her friends groaned. "Can't you stay a little longer, Linette?" one of them asked. They were obviously sad.

Linette shrugged and shook her head. "No. Parental orders." She then rolled her eyes. Parents. Always like that.

"All right, then." Her friends got up and said their good byes. Linette then descended the stairs. She headed down the street.

The de Lafayette's home was down town, in a beautiful condo overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Linette's parents wanted her to take a taxi or a train home, but how could she? There were streets and streets of malls between school and her condo. Linette was _not_ going to let the opportunity of shopping (even if it was window shopping) to pass her by.

As she was walking, Linette observed stores such as Hollister, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ralph Lauren. Important, high-fashion stores. She also saw stores like Old Navy and Macy's. Dirty, overcrowded stores with no sense of what was good fashion and what was bad. Those stores earned Linette's disapproval.

As she was walking, Linette got the strange feeling that she was lost. Her condo was somewhere in the east, but the landscape and buildings screamed North L.A._ Oh, well._ _If North L.A. has more stores, it's totally worth it._ So Linette wandered around, looking at stores and rating them good or bad.

One certain Chanel Boutique caught her eye. Inside, she could see clothes, handbags, fragrances, and mannequins. Linette couldn't resist going in, so she did.

As soon as she opened the door, Linette knew that Chanel was her store. Cute handbags, chic dresses, and the best fragrances ever produced in the world. Linette had no idea how much time she spent looking at _just_ the bags and jewelry.

When Linette got to the clothes, she found a woman looking at them. She was a blonde, with large shopping bags in her hands. _Calvin Klein, Bebe, Juicy Couture, Tommy Hilfiger, Prada, Dior_…… and that probably wasn't the half of it. Linette immediately recognized a simple white Versace dress paired with a pair of turquoise Jimmy Choos. _Wait. Turquoise and white don't go too well together._ Astounded at the fashion faux pas, Linette decided to speak up.

"Um. Excuse me miss? I don't think those shoes are the best choice for that dress you're wearing."

The woman turned. "What did you say?"

Linette gulped. "I-I said that I don't think that those Jimmy Choos are the best choice for that beautiful Versace dress."

The woman held out her foot. "You do have a point. Hm. You know, you are right! As a matter of fact, I think that the dress would go better with the _other _pair of Jimmy Choos I bought."

Linette was astounded. Another pair of Jimmy Choos? She only dreamt of having one! This woman was rich. Linette had to make friends with her.

"Could I see what you bought?" she asked in her sweetest voice.

"Of course!" The woman handed her a bag, relieved to let go of a load.

Linette peered inside, making sure to see all of the clothes without moving them. The bag that she had was a Prada shopping bag. As she shifted through the various items, Linette make mental notes about the items.

"Miss--wait, what's your name?" Linette asked.

"Aphrodite," the woman said without glancing back.

"Well, Miss Aphrodite, I think you have good taste."

Aphrodite turned. "Thank you! And you're not that bad, either."

Linette smile, happy to be complimented by this fashionable woman. As she wandered around Chanel, she wondered why some part about the woman bothered her. Was it her name? Wait, it was. But why did it bother her?

Linette's memory flashed back to a time in 6th grade, when she was learning about Greek Mythology. Her fashion sense wasn't too strong back then. But that didn't stick out. What did stick out was the fact that Linette chose to do the goddess of love and beauty for her final paper.

The goddess's name was Aphrodite. The same as the woman's.

Linette hurried over to the woman. "Are you the Greek goddess of love and beauty?" she asked without thinking.

Aphrodite whipped around, fire blazing in her eyes. Putting back the shirt that was in her hands, she grabbed Linette's wrist. Aphrodite lead her though the streets, twisting and winding around the corners. She ignored Linette's loud questions.

Finally, Aphrodite stopped. Out of breath, with her shoes ruined, she spoke.

"First, yes, I am the goddess of love and beauty. Second, do you know how dangerous that was? We could have gotten caught, and the Olympians would have sent me down to Tartaros! Third, if you want to know why I am here, it's because the Olympians and I need to find Apprentices so that we can save ourselves. And before you ask, we do exist!"

Linette didn't know if Aphrodite was telling the truth. But she saw the Apprentices thing as a chance to become the woman's friend.

"Can I be your Apprentice? I'd like to."

Aphrodite looked confuse. "No. You shouldn't. I really should find someone that can fight and is smart. Not a fashion obsessed girl like you. No offense."

"But I can fight! If I want to. And I have A's and B's at school, so I am smart." There was no response. "Please?" Linette made her puppy face.

Aphrodite sighed. "Well, if you believe that you can prove yourself to the others, then I'll take you. Because personally I have no problem."

"I will prove myself. I swear it!"

"On the River Styx?"

"On the what?"

Aphrodite shrugged. "Forget it. I'm just getting too much Greek in my head."

"So can I go?"

"Sure. If you don't mind carrying more bags for me."

"I won't." Linette then took the bags out of Aphrodite's hands and smiled.

* * *

Whew. I kind of had a hard time writing this. I squrimed all the time, since I was never the type of person who was interested in fashion. Now for the salutes (yay, I like saluting all you guys who have questions)!

I think some of your questions have been answered since the last chapter was Hades'. But just as a reminder, neither Hades nor Donovan will be emo, goth, or the like.

My friend G(who I know, but is too lazy to get a signed review): As you will find later, Bellatrix and Alexis are different in many ways. I can't make it more clear than that without revealing their personalites (don't wanna do that). And it's called The President because she is the president of the sophomore class. And I struggled with the title.

meiscool2: I don't think there will be any slash matches here. But a problem that I invoked on myself was that I chose 7 boys and only 5 girls...But I was never the type of lovey dovey person. However, good friend G has been bugging me to write a chapter with "romance" in the future. So expect a tiny tiny tiny tiny times infinity amount of love, but it's going to have consequences and someone who breaks it up.

Penguiny: The critic, as always. I apologize for my...uh...lack of_ emotional depth._ As I said with G, what Alexis did has something to do with her personality. I'm going to work on their individual selves, so expect to understand it sooner or later. See, that's one of the problems with fanfiction. You can't just turn a page and read on to find out why someone did this or that. (you know those books that reveal things that didn't make sense but made sense in the future?) The only thing I can tell you is to be patient and keep giving me good critiques.

My salutes were kind of long here, since very few of you guys posted salutable reviews. If you want to get mentioned in the salutes, ask questions (but I will not give away the plot!!) Maybe when I reach a lot of reviews, I'll make the salutes shorter.

Next chapter is when all of the Apprentices' (and maybe some of yours) questions are answered. Things are explained.


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